theSpace

Why theSpace?

Many adults labelled with intellectual disabilities or Autism are at an impasse. As individuals graduate from support programs or secondary school and seek to transition and participate in the world of jobs, they often find themselves without many choices. Most individuals find, too, that there is a lack of options that enable continued, progressive engagement in society and in their own personal development .

Currently, there is little action-based research that would support finding viable and inclusionary strategies for these adults in transition - whether they are graduating from secondary education or approaching retirement. We believe that the most important forms of value and belonging - both social and personal, can emerge when individuals are enabled to find a lifelong interest which motivates their learning, and through creative contribution.

What Makes theSpace Unique?

Our members have the opportunity for real involvement in growing social belonging through their creations and co-creations.Not only is theSpace a gathering place, it is a platform for building lifelong community networks to harness new resources and innovations.

theSpace also supports individuals who are often not fully represented or given a voice to express personal agency within so many mainstream programs--introducing an approach which instead moves away from traditional notions of 'a job', and toward an embodiment of more broad forms of social citizenship and identity.

We Want To Prepare People For The Future

In a world of accelerating change, traditional jobs have an ever shorter shelf-life. Learning is becoming the key challenge to our ability to adapt.

Meeting this challenge successfully requires conditions that one awakens the intrinsic motivation that can unleash a lifelong passion for learning and growth.

We want all individuals to find their own voice and creative identity, which can become a lifelong foundation for a robust sense of well being.